The Letter
by rowlinghermione
Summary: Hermione finds a letter behind Dumbledore's portrait. She goes on a journey to find one of the horcruxs. DMHG. Written for ThirdFloorCorridor.
1. Chapter 1: Head Duties

**Chapter 1- Head Duties**

"Damn Harry Potter," Hermione muttered to herself. "Newsflash: The world doesn't always revolve around him." Hermione stalked up to Dumbledore's office. Professor McGonagal wanted to meet with her in Dumbledore's office. She had said something about head duties. "Chocolate frogs," Hermione said when she reached the gargoyle. The gargoyle sprung to life. She quickly made her way up the stairs and knocked on the door. No one answered. Hermione opened the door to find the room completely empty saves for the desk, a few chairs, a pensive, and the paintings on the wall. "Where is everyone?" She thought out loud.

"You're the head girl, correct?" A voice boomed around the room. Hermione looked around to see where the voice was coming from. "I'm up on the wall." Hermione looked toward the wall and found Professor Dumbledore's picture staring at her.

"Yes," she replied. "Where's Professor McGonagal?"

"How would I know? She's not here," the portrait answered. "Are you a friend of Harry Potter's?" Hermione nodded. "Professor Dumbledore wanted me to give him something. Will you give it to him for me?" Hermione nodded. "It's behind me."

"What do you mean?" Hermione questioned.

"Stand to my left. You'll be able to see a piece of paper there." Hermione did as he said. A folded piece of parchment lay behind him. "Take it." Hermione reached out and took the piece of parchment. "Open it."

Hermione was about to do just that when someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" She called. She quickly took the parchment and hid it in her pocket. Draco Malfoy stepped into the room.

"Mudblood," Malfoy greeted her.

"Ferret," she replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm head boy. You'd think that someone as smart as yourself would have realized that."

"Was that a compliment?" Hermione smiled at him.

"What? No," Malfoy smirked. Hermione took the piece of parchment out of her pocket and started to read it. Malfoy walked up behind her, looking over her shoulder as he did this. Hermione looked at the paper hard and then started to mouth something to herself.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She said out loud.

"Why do you want to know?" Malfoy said in her ear. She turned around to find her face an inch away from his. They seemed to be frozen there for all eternity. Malfoy was the first to close the gap. He stared straight into her eyes. She had beautiful brown eyes. They were so soft and forgiving. Their lips collided with each other. The doorknob handle twisted with a squeak. The two teenagers broke apart.

"How dare you!" Hermione exclaimed. She slapped him across the cheek.

"Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagal walked into the room at exactly that moment. "You will not treat your partner like that ever again! Detention tomorrow evening at six o'clock with Professor Snape!"

"But Professor!" Hermione complained. "He…"

"No excuses Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagal said before sitting down at the desk. "Sit!" Hermione and Malfoy sat down in the two armchairs in front of the desk. "About your head duties. You both are to patrol the corridors from eight at night to ten o'clock at night…together. Also, you will plan all of the different school dances. That's it. Any questions?" The two heads sat quietly in their seats. "Good. You start tonight. You also need to plan a Halloween dance and a Thanksgiving dance. Your plans for the Halloween dance should be handed in to me in the next three weeks. You're dismissed."

Malfoy stood up first. Hermione followed him out the door. When she had reached the bottom of the stairs, he was nowhere in site.


	2. Chapter 2: The Letter

**Chapter 2- The Letter**

Hermione sat down in the Heads Common Room. She had been waiting for Malfoy for about twenty minutes so far and she was getting impatient. Finally she decided that she might as well do something productive with her time. It was already seven fifty and he was nowhere to be seen. She took out the piece of parchment that she had found behind Dumbledore's picture. She reread it once more. Nothing made much sense to her. She had checked out ten books from the library about secret codes, but it didn't seem like any of them could help her out. She flipped through one of the books. Nothing. She was about to give up when a voice came from behind her.

"What are you doing?" Malfoy questioned. She turned to look at him.

"Waiting for you. We were supposed to start patrolling ten minutes ago," she informed him.

"Great. Let's go." He walked past her and out into the corridor. Hermione ran to catch up with his brisk pace. She had the letter in her hand. "What is that anyway?"

"What?"

"That piece of parchment. What is it?" Malfoy stopped walking. Hermione ran into him.

"Sorry," she grunted. "It's something I found in Professor Dumbledore's office. I've been trying to figure it out."

"Why? Can't read English very well?" Malfoy smirked.

"It's in a secret code Malfoy," Hermione rolled her eyes. "I bet you wouldn't be able to read it."

"Want to bet?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay. If you win, I have to act nicely to you. If I win, you don't ever talk back to me and you have to act nicely towards me."

"Deal." Hermione and Malfoy shook on it. She passed him the piece of parchment.

"Wow," Malfoy muttered to himself.

"You can't read it, can you?" She smiled. "I told you that you wouldn't be able to."

"No. It's…intense. It's about a horcrux. What is a horcrux anyway?" He asked.

"A horcrux? It's a…" The clock cut her off. Nine rings. "It's umm… a piece of a soul. What else does it say?"

"Well," Malfoy continued. "It gives an exact location. I'm not sure exactly what it says, but it mentions a village. And something about some guy named Tom Riddle. It also says that a bird can reach there, but a human can't. Something about blood and a war," Malfoy finished. Hermione stared at him.

"What language is it in?" She asked.

"It's the language of the purebloods. Only the rich pureblood families teach it to their children." Hermione thought for a few seconds.

"I didn't' see that in any of the books I've read."

"That's because only purebloods can pass it on. It's against the pureblood code to write it down or teach it to anyone that isn't pure. It's really weird." The clock chimed ten o'clock.

"We'd better get back," Hermione told him. "Now."

"Yeah." Malfoy started to walk back to the dorm. Hermione followed him.


	3. Chapter 3: Changing Fate

**Chapter 3**

Hermione stepped into the loud Gryffindor Common Room. It was quite empty for the amount of noise in the room. She walked over to the only two occupants in the room. They were both playing wizard chess. They had decided to put a charm on the chess set to make it sound more like a war.

"Harry! Ron! Potions essay?" Hermione gazed at them.

"Not now, Hermione." Ron didn't look up. "I'm busy beating Harry."

"Harry!" Hermione tapped her foot on the ground.

"What?" He questioned and looked at her.

"Potions essay?" She answered.

"Not now. I'll do it later," Harry replied. "Knight to G4."

"Harry!" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"What?" Harry abruptly stood up and faced her. His eyes flashed green.

"It's due in two days," she meekly said.

"I know perfectly well that it's due in two days!" He yelled. "I, unlike you, have been gone all day and am not in the mood to do schoolwork! I have more things to worry about than a stupid essay! "One of those things includes saving you and the rest of the wizarding world. Right now, I am spending some time with Ron before I have to leave again!"

Hermione closed her eyes and then opened them again. "You don't need to save me," she said through gritted teeth. "I can save myself. So help me god, I will save us all while you sit back on your lazy ass. You're not much of a hero anyway." With that, Hermione picked up her bag and walked out of the room. The portrait slammed shut.

The two boys sat back down to finish their game when a fiery red head came down the stairs. She walked right up to him and yelled in his face.

"Harry Potter! I can't believe that I actually liked you! You're worse than Malfoy! Hermione's your friend and you treated her like crap! I can't believe that you blew up in her face when she was trying to help you! She didn't want you to fail and have to take the year over again, but you won't let her help. You won't let anyone help you! I can't believe you!" Ginny took the chessboard and threw it on the ground. The girl then left through the portrait hole.

"What's their problem?" Harry asked. Ron gave him a weird look and shook his head.


	4. Chapter 4: I Promise

**Chapter 4: I Promise**

Hermione walked into the Heads Common Room. Draco Malfoy was sitting on the couch, reading a novel.

"What're you reading?"

"A book," Malfoy answered.

"What book?" Hermione asked.

"This one," he replied without looking up.

"I figured that," she said. "But what's the title?"

"Soldier Boys," he sighed. "It's okay."

"I've read that. It's good." She sat down on the couch next to him.

"Uh huh." He ignored her.

"Okay. Can I ask you a question?"

"Umm…sure." He put the book down. "What is it?" He looked over at her.

"Umm…Do you like the book?" She inquired.

"Yeah. I guess." He picked the book up once more.

"Wait. That wasn't the question."

"It wasn't?" He questioned.

"No." He looked over at her once more. She fidgeted. "How…how would you feel about…going on an adventure…with me?" He put the book down.

"What do you mean?"

"I…you know what the letter says and…I…I need you."

"Wow," he placed his feet on the coffee table. "I never thought you would say that. Say it again." Hermione glared at him.

"I need you to come," Hermione sighed. "If you don't want to go then…"

"Then what?"

"I'll…I'll kill myself," Hermione said slowly. She looked down at the ground.

"Why would you want to do that?" Malfoy asked her.

"I…I have nothing," Hermione cried. Malfoy didn't know what to do so he finally moved closer to her and patted her on her back. She leaned into his chest.

"I'm sure you have something," Malfoy assured her. "You still have friends and your family and head duties. Why would you say that you have nothing?"

"Because I have nothing," she cried into his shirt. "I…I just received a…a letter. My parents…they're…they're…" She burst out sobbing. Malfoy pulled her into a hug and rocked her back and forth.

"Shh. It's okay. It's okay."

"They're dead. And…and Harry is acting like a…a…an arrogant…ferret." Malfoy couldn't help but smile at this.

"Everything's going to be okay," Malfoy told her. "I promise."


End file.
